A theory by Durkheim we can include in our debate!!

Durkheim is a theorist that has done research into how people within society manage to belong to and form a social structure which operates well without too much conflict. He claims that the social structure which is formed through people having shared norms and values is called a 'unifying force'. He suggests that institutions such as education and the media teach people to have what he calls a 'collective conscience', this is when people expect the same behaviour from each other because they have been taught that certain values and expectations are the 'norm'.

However it depends on different societies that people are a part of or surrounded by as to what norms and values are expected of them. Durkheim claims that a member of a collective conscience will have a shared understanding of its institutions,formal and informal rules, collective symbolism including values, ideals,opinions, mythologies and religions.

 The extent to which someone is socially intergrated to a level similar to someone else or not can have an effect on their achievement within society. We could use this point to relate to our collective (young british) by claiming that certain values that are projected to them through institutions influence them to act a certain way.

 Society is becoming increasingly individualistic with people's identities and actions throughout recent decades. Durkheim would claim this is a negative thing as he is a functionalist and believes that everything is set out because it performs a certain function and if things become too diverse people will start to loose their collective conscience. He suggests this means remedy is needed and an example of this is the encouragement of moral links with other members of society.